Question:medium
A young girl presented to the OPD with rough surfaced lesions over her elbows and knees. She also complained of diminished vision in the night. What is the most likely diagnosis?
A young girl presented to the OPD with rough surfaced lesions over her elbows and knees. She also complained of diminished vision in the night. What is the most likely diagnosis?
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Think of a nutritional deficiency that causes both follicular hyperkeratosis and night blindness.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Keratosis pilaris
- Phrynoderma
- Folliculitis
- Pyoderma
Show Solution
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Approach via nutritional deficiency pattern:
The two cardinal features in this case are: (1) follicular hyperkeratosis over pressure areas (elbows, knees) and (2) nyctalopia (night blindness).
Nyctalopia results from deficiency of $\text{Vitamin A}$ (retinol), which is required for synthesis of rhodopsin (visual purple) in rod cells of the retina.
Phrynoderma is caused by deficiencies of multiple vitamins -- $\text{Vitamin A}$, $\text{B complex}$, $\text{C}$, and $\text{E}$ -- but Vitamin A deficiency is predominant when night blindness coexists.
The term "phrynoderma" (Greek: phryno = toad, derma = skin) describes the toad-like rough appearance of the skin. It is a form of follicular hyperkeratosis, clinically distinct from:
Treatment: Vitamin A supplementation corrects both the skin lesions and night blindness.
\[\boxed{\text{Phrynoderma}}\]
The two cardinal features in this case are: (1) follicular hyperkeratosis over pressure areas (elbows, knees) and (2) nyctalopia (night blindness).
Nyctalopia results from deficiency of $\text{Vitamin A}$ (retinol), which is required for synthesis of rhodopsin (visual purple) in rod cells of the retina.
Phrynoderma is caused by deficiencies of multiple vitamins -- $\text{Vitamin A}$, $\text{B complex}$, $\text{C}$, and $\text{E}$ -- but Vitamin A deficiency is predominant when night blindness coexists.
The term "phrynoderma" (Greek: phryno = toad, derma = skin) describes the toad-like rough appearance of the skin. It is a form of follicular hyperkeratosis, clinically distinct from:
- Keratosis pilaris: genetic, no nutritional cause, no night blindness
- Folliculitis: infectious, presents with pustules
- Pyoderma: purulent infection
Treatment: Vitamin A supplementation corrects both the skin lesions and night blindness.
\[\boxed{\text{Phrynoderma}}\]
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